Islamabad: The Pakistani rupee hit a nine-and-a-half month low at Rs163.35 against the US dollar in intra-day trading in the interbank market on Monday, Pakistani media reported, partly due to an increase in demand for the foreign currency in the domestic economy.
The rupee depreciated by almost Re1 (92 paisa) in intra-day trading compared to Friday’s (the previous working day) close of Rs162.43.
“The rupee is losing partly due to increased pressure of import payments,” Topline Securities Director Research Syed Atif Zafar told Pakistan’s The Express Tribune newspaper.
The US dollar is also gaining strength against world currencies, Zafar said: “This is another reason for the drop in rupee.”
“The local currency is estimated to fall to around Rs166-168 to the greenback by end-December 2021,” he said.
Zafar said additional demand for dollars in the economy was being generated on the back of a “persistent uptrend in international petroleum oil prices.” Pakistan heavily relies on imported energy.
The rupee has been in decline since it hit a 22-month high of Rs152.27 in March 202
Pakistani rupee hits nine-month low at 163.35 to the dollar
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Pakistani rupee hits nine-month low at 163.35 to the dollar
- Rupee is losing partly due to increased pressure of import payments, analysts say
- Rupee has been in decline since it hit a 22-month high of Rs152.27 in March 2021
Pakistan’s Mahnoor Omer named among TIME’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026
- Omer moved a Pakistani court against the so-called ‘period tax’ in Sept. 2025 which has since sparked a national debate
- Taxes on sanitary pads in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to retail price, UNICEF says only around 12 percent women use such products
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani women’s rights activist Mahnoor Omer, who fought against taxes on menstrual products, has been named among the TIME magazine’s ‘Women of the Year’ for 2026.
Omer’s efforts have been recognized alongside 16 activists, artists, athletes and businesswomen in the TIME’s Women of the Year 2026 list, including Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Chloe Zhao.
Dissatisfied with the efforts to educate Pakistani girls about sexual violence, Omer founded the Noor Foundation at the age of 14 and held her own workshops with village girls about everything from climate change to menstruation, according to the TIME magazine.
Two years later, a conversation with a domestic worker about the price of pads made her realize that not everyone could afford these essentials. She moved a court against the so-called “period tax” in Sept. 2025 and the case has sparked a national debate on the subject, considered a taboo by many in Pakistan, since its first hearing late last year.
“A decade and one law degree after her interest in activism was sparked, Omer, now 25, is putting her passion and expertise to work in the name of gender equity,” TIME wrote about Omer on its website.
Taxes imposed on sanitary products in Pakistan can add up to 40 percent to the retail price. UNICEF estimates just 12 percent of women in the country use commercially produced pads or tampons. The alternative, using cloth, risks health impacts including rashes and infections, and can make it impossible for girls to attend school while menstruating.
Omer’s suit, which awaits the government response, has sparked a national discussion. She says she spoke about menstruation to her father and male cousins, who thanked her for standing up for their daughters.
The 25-year-old, who is currently enrolled in a master’s degree in gender, peace, and security at the London School of Economics, sees this case as just the first of many.
“I’m not free until every woman is free,” she was quoted as saying by TIME. “I want to leave no stones unturned in terms of what I can do with the next few decades, as a lawyer for the women in my country and gender minorities in general.”
